Starship Rubicon Demo

Faster Than Light was like a revolution in the roguelike genre, mainly because it ignited a flame that seemed long gone. All of a sudden, graphics didn’t matter anymore, it was all about survival and an insane difficulty level. Many other examples followed after that, many of which got just as much recognition as FTL did. Hence, the genre was reborn, and it wasn’t that difficult to improve on it.

Starship Rubicon is an amusing, yet pretty challenging space shoot ‘em up with roguelike elements in which you control a spaceship fighting against an alien invasion. It may not be as intricate as regular roguelike games, but it’s definitely every bit as challenging, especially after the initial couple of levels. Besides killing aliens, upgrading your ship and learning how to maneuver it around asteroid fields are your primary objectives.

The story’s main ingredient is humor, because it’s not meant to be taken seriously. As a matter of fact, you can pretty much ignore it all together if you feel like it, because you’ll still be able to finish the game. Hence, you play the role of a spaceship fighter awoken after a very long time by an AI, who tells you that the Earth has been destroyed and you are humanity’s last hope.

Every now and again, you’ll meet other survivors around the solar system. They can be added to your party, and you can use them in battle to gain certain advantages. This works incredibly well in most situations, although you still have to carry most of the load. Once you get enough upgrades to deal serious damage and resist incoming shots, things should get a lot easier to handle.

Speaking of which, the controls are pretty unique as well, but maybe not in an entirely positive sense You only have to use the mouse in order to move, since the thruster and your orientation are the only things that can be controlled. A boost can be activated when you need the extra speed, such as evading a powerful attack or passing through a gate to finish the mission.

It is quite obvious that Starship Rubicon is a bit unpolished and unrefined in certain regards. However, the level of fun is consistent at all times, which means that you won’t get a chance to get bored very soon.